Viva Love
by Knights Templar
Summary: I have reposted Chapter 4, with something vastly different. I know this is the second time i am pulled, and reposted, but I hope that everyone can bear with me in the end. This will be the last time I have to do this if things hold together well. Thanks.
1. Chapter I

fanfic A/N: This piece of fiction is based of the Robotech novels, and is in no way mine. They are owned by Harmony Gold, though no one knows when or where they will make their next release, hope it isn't in three or four years. I'd like something sooner, I'm sure we all would. As it would happen, this is What If V 2.0 (will be better) and it starts at the episode on Viva Miriya.

Plot: In Viva Miriya, Rick and Lisa were going to have a conversation about Lisa's feelings, well, What If they did have that talk. What If a lot of other things had happened that didn't happen in the book and episodes. I suppose this is another What If, enjoy it.

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Rick sat and watched as Max and Miriya were entertaining Lisa and Claudia with alluring and humorous stories about little Dana and some of the dangers of having a Zentraedi for a wife. Rick smiled as he watched Max field all questions, ranging from diapers, to midnight feedings, to helping Miriya understand what was expected from her to be a mother. He saw Max smile the whole time he answered their questions, Max loved it and Rick knew it.

Rick looked at Dana and had to admit that she was a very cute little baby, and that one day he would like to have children. But that took Rick's mind somewhere he had not anticipated. He began to think of Minmei and what having a family with her would be like. He grimaced inwardly. He didn't feel that Minmei was motherly material, not right now at least.

Not that Rick was in any particular hurry to settle down with anyone right now. At the age of twenty-three, Rick was in the prime of his life and could have almost any woman he wanted. But, he wouldn't, and he didn't. Women had never been a difficult thing for Rick, even in his younger days.

His gaze drifted to Lisa, and he began to think about her, and not in the way that he usually did. His usual gauntlet of emotions regarding one, Lisa Hayes, was that she was an accomplished officer, a wonderful friend, and someone who he respected, though few could tell.

This was different, these feelings he had, as he thought about Lisa. He looked her over now, appraising her looks. He had to admit to himself that Lisa was an attractive woman, beautiful even. It wasn't the same kind of beauty that Minmei had either.

Minmei was beautiful, but Minmei had an "artificial" beauty about her. Rick didn't see that when he looked at Lisa, he saw just natural beauty and for the first time, he really noticed that she was beautiful and wondered why he had not seen it before.

He knew why, Minmei. She wasn't here now, to tickle his fancy, and cause him a distraction. The trip into space had almost been a welcome one for Rick because it gave him the chance to get away from the issues of Earth. He returned his attention to Lisa and went over all their interactions and experiences together.

They fought. They did that more frequently than anything else, but Rick wondered if there was something to this hostility. He could feel something inside of him, but he couldn't gauge what it was and for the life of him, he couldn't understand the emotions he was feeling for Lisa.

He thought about doing what he always did when he had conflicting emotions. Push them into his subconscious and just forget that they ever existed. But something told him not to, he considered listening to this voice, still confused he debated seriously with just dropping the emotions and thoughts going off in his head.

This time he didn't do that, he let his feelings run their course. He didn't know why he let his emotions go this time and just sit back and feel for once, instead of always doing something. If Rick was confused before he let his emotions run and play, he was even more confused now that he had let them go. Rick hated being confused, and being hard-headed didn't help. He groaned inwardly, it must be a pilot thing.

He looked at Lisa and couldn't help but feel a swelling attraction to her, something that terrified Rick more than Breetai and a horde of Battlepods. He had thought he was in love with Minmei, but those feelings had never been so in doubt now, and he had always thought that he was just friends with Lisa, but those feelings were also on shaky ground now, too.

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Rick heard his name and looked to the source, it was Lisa smiling at him asking if would like to hold Dana. The smile that Lisa was giving Rick swelled that emotion that he couldn't place and extended his arms and took Dana.

"Make sure you hold up her head Rick," Claudia told him sipping her tea. "You wouldn't want to hurt something that sweet and innocent would you?"

He looked to Claudia and for a moment thought she was saying something without actually saying something. He thought about it for a moment and then dismissed it as him over-analyzing it. He looked at Dana, and for a moment, wished he was Max.

Max was happy and content and he always seemed to be happy. Nothing ever seemed to rattle Max, even the fact that Miriya had tried to kill him before they were married. He heard a yawn and he looked at Dana as she woke up. He brought her closer to his face and smiled at her. He knew that everyone was watching him and he was trying to not drop Dana because of nerves.

All the sudden he saw Dana's face go from a smile, to contorted. He heard Max say his name in a cautionary manner, but it was too late. Dana sneezed, hitting Rick full in the face. He closed his eyes and could feel the spit, mucus and all the other nasty things from a sneeze all over his face. Dana's laugh only punctuated the scene. The room erupted into laughter and Rick couldn't help but smile too.

"Max, could you get me something to wipe my face off with please?" Rick said holding Dana out to Claudia who took the baby.

Max came over and gave him a towel and Rick wiped his face off and gave a small laugh. 'Wow,' he thought, 'she must have planned that.' He laughed again.

"Oh Max, I think Dana is hungry." Miriya said walking over to a fussy Dana, taking her from Claudia.

"I'm not surprised; she hasn't eaten since this morning. I'll go get something started, are you hungry dear?" Max called over his shoulder as he moved into the kitchen. She said she was and Max offered something to everyone else.

Rick thought for a moment, and decided that it was about time that he leaves. He didn't want to impose on Max and Miriya anymore, and he was sure they would appreciate some alone time.

Rick got up, "Thanks for the offer Max, but I don't think so this time."

"You sure, Boss? It's not big deal." Max said as he stood in the doorway looking at him.

Rick smiled, knowing Max's generosity, "No thanks Max, maybe some other time."

"Alright Boss, I'll see you later then." Max waved as Rick made for the door. Something stopped him, it was Lisa. He wanted to talk to her, so he waited to see if Claudia and Lisa were staying or not.

Lisa and Claudia excused themselves. They all said their goodbyes and Rick waited for them. He was glad to see that Lisa and Claudia were leaving. He wanted to talk to Lisa, but he didn't know what about just yet.

Claudia, Lisa, and Rick walked down the corridor of the ship, talking about Dana, Max and Miriya's happiness, and of course the sneeze. Rick still laughed a little when they talked about the look on his face. They stopped outside Lisa's quarters and Claudia and Rick said their goodbyes to Lisa.

Lisa stopped outside her door and looked at Rick, "Hold on Rick, could you wait in my quarters for a second, I want to talk to you."

Rick was surprised that Lisa had asked him to wait in her quarters. He had wanted to talk to her, but this was not what he had expected. He was slightly scared, a silly emotion for a fighter pilot to feel, given what he had been through and what he would go through again. But he was nervous on the inside.

"Sure Lisa," Rick said slowly as he watched Claudia and Lisa walk down the corridor to her door and they talked.

Rick followed her with his gaze for a second and thought hard about what it was he felt for Lisa. He cared about her, testament to the fact that he did what he could to help her, and he was almost positive that she cared about him. That answer only seems to partially fit. He felt like he had only half solved the question and that there was more to figure out. He sighed and walked into her quarters.

He browsed around and looked at all the things in her quarters. They were somewhat Spartan, like his own, but unlike the Sterling's. 'That's because they had a baby,' he reminded himself. He smiled and noticed a picture on the table and picked it up to look at.

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Lisa walked Claudia to her door and they talked quickly about what Lisa was about to do. Claudia kept reassuring her that she had to do what she had to do, and that she would feel much better having done it. But Lisa was worried that if she told him, and he rebuffed her that she would be devastated, causing her a wound that she couldn't recover from.

"Darlin', if you go through your whole life trying to not get hurt, and not fighting for what you truly want, then you'll be nothing more than a spinster. You want Rick, don't you?" Claudia asked in a motherly tone.

Lisa nodded her head in agreement.

"Then girl, you need to go and take the man you want, make him yours. The ball is in your court. You can't expect him to divine that you want him."

Lisa nodded her head and thought about what Lisa was telling her, she knew that she had to act and that nothing was going to make Rick understand that she loved him, unless she told him. But the one thing that she had to do was the very one thing that she was so terrified to do.

Claudia could see Lisa's internal struggle, "Listen here Lisa, if you don't do something to go out and get Rick, then he will go to Minmei. Then you will really have lost. I know it seems bleak now, but you still have time to make a move and make Rick Hunter yours."

"But…" Lisa said, "but…what if he doesn't love me back? What if he doesn't want me?" Lisa said, despite her exterior, she still had insecurities when it came to men.

Claudia rolled her eyes and grabbed Lisa by her shoulders and shook her, "Lisa, you're a wonderful, smart, beautiful woman, with a nice body and brains to boot. If you can't make Rick see past your Military exterior and see that wonderful woman that you are, then why bother? You have to let him in, you have to show him that there is more to you than just rules and regulations. You must show him your softer side."

Lisa knew Claudia was right, but she didn't know how she was going to let Rick see her softer side. That was something that even the strong-willed and impressive Lisa Hayes had been bad at. For all her military training, and all that she had accomplished, she had only truly let one man into her life, and he died.

"Listen Lisa," Claudia began slowly, with a softer tone in her voice, "I know that getting over Karl was hard for you, that the only man you let into your life died in a most tragic way, but you have to give Rick a chance. You have to invite him to discover more about you. Lisa, you're a wonderful woman, and you have a lot to offer. But all Rick knows is the Rules-and-Reg's Lisa, not the sweet and loving Lisa. Show him that side."

Lisa nodded her head in agreement and knew that she had her work cut out for her, but she knew that despite it all, she could show Rick that she was more than just a military woman, she was a woman.

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Rick looked at the picture carefully; it looked like a younger Lisa with an older man. He thought a minute and tried to figure out who it was. 'Her father?' He asked himself. 'No, no that's not it.' Then he realized who it was.

He looked at the picture and saw something in Lisa's eyes that he had seen before. It was love, and happiness. He smiled as he looked at her happy face and saw a look of love and happiness in his face also.

They were truly happy in this picture, and Rick suddenly knew why Lisa acted the way she did. 'She's been heartbroken for a long, long time,' his mind screamed at him. 'An you're not helping her at all.'

Rick closed his eyes and tried to imagine the pain that Lisa must feel all the time, and how hard it is to go through everyday with a weight like that bearing down on one's soul. Try as he might, Rick could not imagine the pain that Lisa felt.

Sure, Rick had lost people he loved too, but Roy wasn't Karl. Rick had been sad when Roy had died, and even though Roy was his Big Brother, the loss of Roy could not compare to the loss that Lisa felt when she heard of the death of her fiancée.

He felt a bubble of sadness and sorrow well up inside of him. He heard a sound behind him and saw Lisa standing there watching him. He fumbled with the picture and set it back on the table on its side.

"Sorry Lisa, I didn't mean to snoop, I was just…I mean, sorry Lisa." Rick said in a rush, not knowing what to say.

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Lisa was slightly annoyed with Rick's apologies, "Rick, stop apologizing, I have nothing to hide. You can ask about anything here."

She saw a sad look on his face as he looked at her, and it made the job that Lisa had to feel ever more impossible. She smiled, and she could see he gave a half-hearted attempt to smile back at her.

"Rick, are you ok? Is there something wrong?" Lisa asked him, hoping and praying that his answer wouldn't have to do with Minmei.

Something told her that he was sad because he was away from his precious Minmei. A wave of anger washed across her, not at Rick, but at Minmei for taking the only other good man she had met. Lisa knew that she would have to wait and actually see what was bothering Rick.

Rick, fumbled with his thoughts in his mind, now knowing what to do, but there was one question burning hotly in his mind.

"Lisa," Rick said, voice shaky, wondering if he should really ask, "what happened with you and Karl? What happened to him?" He asked.

He hoped that he hadn't crossed some line. He watched as her expression went from a cheerful one, to a puzzled one, then finally to a look of sad surprise.

She sat down. With a shocked look.

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Lisa was lost, deep in her own mind, staring at Rick. She was shocked at the question and had no immediate response other than to sit down and look at him. She knew something was bothering him, she had expected it to be Minmei related, but this question had hit her flank hard, throwing her entire plan she had into complete disarray.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She motioned for him to sit down.

He walked over and sat down next to her, and she felt a warm wave of reassurance wash over her. It was nice, but she knew that Rick wanted an answer to his question and she began to try and think of anything but. She closed her eyes and organized her thoughts.

"Well, Rick, that depends on what you want to know about Karl and I, or about what you want to know about his death," Lisa said as evenly as she could. She was on the verge of losing her composure. Here was a man she loved wanting to know about another man she had loved, who had long since been dead.

"I just want to know about him, and you, I really don't know that much about you Lisa, I mean other than what I know from the things we have done together." Rick said.

"Well, I loved Karl." Lisa told him, answering him honestly.

"I know," Rick replied, "but…I guess I just want to know about you." Rick said with a hesitation that Lisa knew meant he was afraid to ask.

Lisa faltered for a second; Rick had opened the door for her, and let her in. She thought that it was going to be tough having to try and show Rick her soft side. Instead he had done that himself and for that, Lisa was immensely grateful.

"I really don't know what to tell you Rick. I loved Karl, he was my first love, and he had even gone so far as to ask me to marry him. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, and when he went away to go to Mars, he promised me he would come back, that when this war was all over we would be married and have a happy life together." Lisa said, her composure crumbling fast, with her hard pressed to maintain it.

She looked at Rick, and could see that her story was having an effect on him. He looked sad, and he looked at her with caring eyes. But she knew that there was more to the answer, and she felt that she owed to him, and more importantly, herself to finish what she had started.

"We used to do everything together, and we always had fun doing it. He completed me, and I loved him. I know it's hard to imagine loving someone that young, but I swear I loved him." Lisa looked at Rick, the tears welling up.

Rick nodded and digested what she was telling him. It was all terribly hard for her to do, but he from Claudia of Karl, but he never knew much of, or too much about Karl. He didn't do this to hurt her, he just wanted to know, if he was to have any feelings for her, that weren't muddled, he needed to know about her past.

"I was young when he went away, and I missed him terribly. My father never liked him because he wasn't military. He was more glad than sad that Karl had left, and after he was gone, my father enrolled me at the Academy, and I began my military career." Lisa laughed, and Rick though he heard a hint of disgust in the laugh.

He was surprised at Lisa. He had never pictured her as being one to ever regret her decisions. For a second it seemed to Rick that Lisa had once regretted joining the military. If Rick was shocked, he did his best to keep it off his face.

"Then one day, came the news that Karl had been killed on Mars. My world was rocked." Lisa had lost it by now, she had tears streaming down her face, she didn't try to stop them, and she couldn't even if she had tried.

She felt Rick move closer to her and wrap his arm around her and pull her in close to him, comforting her. She knew that he was doing this because he felt sorry for her, but this is what he had asked, and this was what it had done to her.

"Oh, Rick, you have no idea how terrible that day was. I felt as if I had lost a part of my life that I wasn't going to get back. I wanted to quit the military, run away, hide, anything but have to face the fact that Karl had died. I didn't want to go on anymore. Instead of talking to people about it, I just shut my self up to the world and found new purpose in the military." Lisa felt the tears come easily now, but she knew it was too late to try and regain her composure.

Rick looked at Lisa and felt bad that he had done this to her. He didn't know what had possessed him to as that question, and more importantly he felt her pain. He wanted to just hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright.

He had asked her about Karl, but he regretted it, not for her, but selfishly for himself because it just muddled his already highly confused emotional state even more. He knew he wanted to help make Lisa better, but a part of him wanted Minmei and to keep her in his life.

'Why is it when you finally get what you think you want, your mind changes what it wants?' His mind screamed.

"Lisa, I'm sorry that if I asked you about something that made you cry, I really didn't mean to make you this sad." Rick said.

Lisa looked at him, "Rick, don't worry about it. I guess know you know about Karl and me."

Rick did now know something about Lisa, but he regretted that the first thing he had thought to ask her was about her dead fiancée. It made him feel incredibly insensitive and more importantly, it had made Lisa cry.

He hugged her tighter, he didn't know what he was going to do, and he felt like he was getting himself into something that he might regret later. There was no changing what he had done, not changing the fact that he had asked her about this and opened up an old wound. All he could do now was hold her and console her.

He smiled, looked at Lisa and suddenly had a thought.

"Hey, Lisa, what's your favorite food?" Rick asked with the most dashing smile he could muster.

Lisa looked at him and laughed at him, rolling her eyes with the tears still streaming down her face.

"Rick Hunter, you are an odd one," she said with a half hearted smile, appreciating Rick's attempts to cheer her up. She nuzzled into Rick deeper; he had cheered her up, just by listening and being here with her now. She felt him hold her a little tighter, maybe there was hope for him yet.

"Italian food," Lisa said softly.

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"Lord Breetai, are you sure it was wise to continue past the Zentraedi scout ship we picked up a short time ago?" Exedore asked him.

Breetai looked down at the micronized Exedore, "Yes Exedore, there was no reason to disturb the micronians on the ship for something like that. Besides, I want them all ready for when we make contact with Reno's forces."

Exedore nodded his head in agreement and knew that Breetai's judgment was sound, and that he had no reason to second guess Breetai.

"Lord Breetai, do you really think that the diversion will work? I know that Reno and his forces have not been exposed to micronian culture, but will it work?" Exedore asked him.

Breetai knew that Exedore didn't ask out of his own safety, 'It was not the Zentraedi way to concern oneself with their own safety.' Breetai thought to himself.

He asked because they were so outnumbered and it would be beneficial to have the diversion work. All they had was Breetai's flagship, and he knew that Reno would have a substantial edge in the number of troops at his disposal.

"Even if it doesn't work to perfection," Breetai said, not looking down at the micronized Exedore, "we will gain a tactical edge for long enough to get a shot off with the main cannon. All we have to do is convince them to surrender, not necessarily destroy them all."

Exedore nodded again, knowing that Breetai was of sound judgment. He stood and waited for when the flagship would finally make contact with the Satellite Factory and Reno.

They didn't have to wait long. They fell out of hyperspace and materialized before the enormous Satellite Factory and the flotilla of Zentraedi Warships.

Breetai wasted no time; he ordered that Captain Hayes and Commander Hunter report to the bridge and checked to make sure that Max and Miriya Sterling were at the ready. It was time, and Breetai felt a familiar feeling of battle lust rise to the surface. He smiled; it was good to be back.

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Rick and Lisa both got their orders to report to the Bridge at the same time. Rick jumped up and bolted for the door, he had to get into his flight suit before he reported to the Bridge.

He turned back to Lisa, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"We'll talk some more later Lisa." Rick told her as she blushed.

With that Rick rushed off to his quarters to change as quickly as he could.

Lisa hurriedly got herself into presentable shape and made her way to the Bridge. She saw Claudia making for the Bridge and the Trio also. They arrived on the Bridge at the same time and all went to their duty stations.

They all worked feverishly as Breetai called out his orders and watched as fighters, both RDF and Zentraedi were readied and awaiting his orders. He was waiting on only one thing.

Rick came running onto the Bridge and saluted Breetai, "Commander Hunter, reporting as ordered, sir."

"Ah, Commander Hunter, glad you could join us," Breetai said, trying to be like Gloval a little.

Breetai gave a small smile and ordered a channel opened with Reno.

An image of Reno appeared onscreen and they exchanged a few words. Rick was so busy watching the exchange that he barely felt Lisa had gotten close to him, he looked at her and saw that she had recovered from earlier.

"…and now Reno, prepare to be amazed at the workings of Protoculture," Rick heard and before he knew what was going on, Lisa had pulled him into a tight embrace and was kissing him full on mouth. He was shocked and taken aback at this, but, strangely it felt right, and he did nothing to fight it.

He had never experienced Lisa this way before and there was something behind it this time, unlike the two times they had kissed before on Dolza's ship. It was passion, and it was a deep passion that Lisa kissed Rick with now.

She broke the kiss and Rick heard the gags of disgust that were usually associated with Zentraedi who just witnessed their first kiss. He felt light-headed and slightly dizzy. He took a few deep breaths and shook the cobwebs out.

"Commander Hunter, report to the hanger bay, I want you to be ready to lead RDF and Zentraedi forces into combat." Breetai said, with a slight smirk on his face.

Rick nodded and ran off to the hanger.

Breetai still held the smirk on his face as he watched the retreating form of Commander Hunter. He noticed the effects of the kiss that Captain Hayes had given Commander Hunter and he was glad that it had been Commander Hunter who had received the kiss, especially with the way she left him afterwards. That kiss would have destroyed any other man, and most surely any Zentraedi male.

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Rick was confused as he strapped into his Veritech.

The diversion had worked well enough to allow the coalition forces to get ready and get he jump on Reno's forces. But the Zentraedi had regrouped quickly in a way that Breetai had not anticipated and now the combined RDF and Zentraedi forces were going to have to fight a tough battle to liberate the Satellite Factory.

At least here he was in complete control of everything, his life, his fortune, and even the fortunes of others. He reminded himself that flying was a million times easier than trying to figure out what was going through his head. Try as he might, he could not get one particular subject out of his head: Lisa and Minmei.

Rick knew that it was always dangerous for a pilot to be distracted going into combat. But something was different now, he felt like he had something that he wanted to come back to now. He thought he did with Minmei, but she was never around, but something in him told him that he wanted to come back so that Lisa wouldn't have to feel the pain of losing anyone else.

That was for another, time, and another place. Now it was time to go and do the dirty work that needed to be done. It was time to fight and die if need be. He pulled his visor down and hit the pushed the throttle forward, he'd figure himself out later. Minmei and Lisa were now secondary concerns compared to what was before him now.

Rick flew into a heated melee and smiled to himself, 'Here is one battle you can win easily enough, Rick ole boy,' he thought to himself.

For all his tough talk about figuring himself out, he only hoped that he could, 'Damn women,' Rick thought. 'What can you do? Can't live with them, and who'd want to live without them,' Rick thought with a smirk on his face.

"Let's get 'em!" Rick yelled and Skull Squadron rushed into combat. Rick smiled, 'It was good to be back.'

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A/N: I will update, I no longer have any distractions anymore keeping me from writing (my ex-girlfriend that was a 17 month adventure with a nasty ending). But alas, it is done. I will update more. I hope you like and leave me a Review or Opinion, or something, they are the reason I write the next chapter.


	2. Chapter II

A/N: As promised, I am back again to present to you more for your reading pleasure.

P.S. Be nice, and leave a review

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The combined Robotech and Zentraedi forces screamed for the fight, knowing that it would be a tough one.

Rick throttled forward, watching as streams of fire arced back and forth between the two opposing sides now, and he couldn't help but feel that this chaos mirrored his inner chaotic feeling.

'Damn it,' thought Rick, 'this isn't the time or the place to be confused!'

He banked left and lined up an enemy and fired a stream of rounds into the Zentraedi and watched as it went up in sphere of superheated death.

But Rick knew, as all veterans of space combat, that is was bad to stay still and follow a kill for too long. The Zentraedi were notorious about being sneaky and had ample ability to sneak up on even the best pilots.

Rick concentrated harder, his mind working furiously, not on the fight, but how he felt about Lisa, their most recent kiss, and his emotions for Minmei. He dared not close his eyes to blink, or to clear his head, that was a way to die.

He could feel the anger welling up inside of him, and he knew that it was the most dangerous thing to do, allow your anger to control you, to guide, especially in a fight. But he couldn't contain himself.

He was _mad_!

He wasn't mad at Lisa, but he was mad at himself for being so confused. For not being able to figure himself out and know what he wanted.

He fired off a rack of missiles and watched as they streaked to their target, destroying another pod.

Rick fired again, and again, his anger getting more intense and whiter hot with every kill, but also deepening his confusion with every kill.

As he bore down on a damaged Battlepod, and loosed missiles, he heard the call to clear the area and get safe distance away from the target area, Breetai was about to fire the main cannon.

Rick sped off and watched as the few remaining Zentraedi capital ships tried to splinter away, but failed as they were engulfed in the clear wave of death.

Rick smiled with grim satisfaction, but still no less confused.

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Breetai viewed the scene with a satisfied look on his face.

The destruction wrought by his forces was complete and total. There was but on problem. The remaining Zentraedi rebels had holed themselves up in the Satellite Factory, and were refusing to come out.

As Breetai had learned from Exedore, there was only really one way in and one way out. The main hanger bay.

As he surveyed the individuals in front of him, he tried to think of what needed to be done to wrench the Zentraedi out of the Factory.

"Lord Breetai, we need to call reinforcements." Rick said.

Breetai looked at Rick for moment and reflected the ferocity he had displayed in the last battle and wondered if it was not some residual effect from the kiss.

He briefly considered having all his men kiss Captain Hayes before battle. He dismissed it as something that only really worked for Micronians.

"I have already called for reinforcements, but I fear that they will not arrive in time to make a difference. As you all know, Reno will have his forces destroy everything in the Satellite Factory before he allows any of use to possess it."

They all looked to one another and then back at Breetai.

Lisa asked the obvious question, "What do we do then?"

Breetai looked at her and smiled. He liked Lisa, she was a wonderful officer, and would be an asset on any Zentraedi ship.

"I was thinking a…what's the word that you micronians use?" Breetai looked to Exedore with a look that seemed to implore him to help him.

"A commando raid," Exedore said without moving, or elaboration any further.

"Ah yes, that's it, thank you Exedore," Breetai said as Exedore nodded.

"A commando raid, someone goes in behind, while we distract them with an attack on the main hanger bay."

Breetai surveyed the looks and decided that since no one had voice any dissent to the idea that it would be a good one.

"Well, who would lead the attacking team?" Max asked.

Breetai swung his head to where Max and Miriya were sitting and looked at her.

"Why, Miriya of course, she's been on the Satellite Factory before," Breetai said, "and she would be the best suited if you accompanied her too Commander Sterling."

Max raised an eyebrow, taking in the idea. He was initially opposed to them going in together, not for him, or her, but for Dana. Even thought neither of them had been beaten in a fight since he beat her, it was still dangerous.

But Max knew his warrior wife would hear nothing of it, and he smiled at himself, in spite of himself, and knew that they were as good as going.

Breetai knew that Miriya and Max would be good to go for the mission, he looked to Captain Hunter.

"Captain Hunter, I would like it if you would lead the diversionary attack on the main hanger bay, to allow Commanders Sterling's to get into position and secure all vital areas," asked Breetai.

Rick nodded his affirmative.

Breetai nodded his head and pulled up plans for the Satellite Factory.

"Now, this is the best place to breach," started Breetai.

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Rick and the combined RDF and Zentraedi forces sat and waited for the appropriate signal to start the attack on the Satellite Factory.

It had been a long briefing and there had been little time after that to have to oneself, or help relieve oneself of their utter confusion. But Rick had felt that his confusion had lessened a little as he had eventually dazed out of the briefing and began to sort out his confusing emotion.

It had taken a swift kick from Lisa to his shin for him to realize that Breetai was telling him that it all hinged on timing and as soon as a series of explosion were set off, they were to attack.

It seemed though, at the time anyway, that his confusion lessened when he was around Lisa and that her presence seemed to cut through the fog in his head. He liked that he was happy around her, or happier at any rate.

But something kept him from being totally comfortable with her all the time, it was this nagging thought in the back of his head, and he couldn't get it to stop. Minmei.

It seemed like she was impeding his happiness as opposed to helping it. But he couldn't seem to convince himself that she was nothing, or at the least, unattainable. All she cared about was she, and that made Rick mad, who served others.

He closed his eyes, and just reflected on his long, long day, and could only imagine what it would be like to be with someone, back on Earth, basking in the sun and being happy. Feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his face, the pleasant touch of the grass and the gentle flow of the wind through the tree, it would be nice.

Rick's eyes opened as he played the image out in his head, and was shocked to find that Lisa, not Minmei was the person that he saw with him there, laughing and teasing him with her sweet smile and stunning emerald green eyes.

Rick smiled at the thought and stored away the idea for something that he would have to do with Lisa when they got back.

'If I get back,' Rick's mind said.

He rolled his eyes at himself, making a dismissive gesture to himself in the cockpit of his Veritech in the reaches of space, waiting for an attack. It must look ridiculous to anyone watching.

The idea of someone watching Rick talk to himself and argue with himself made him smile, "I must look like a complete screw loose," Rick said to himself.

"Only to those who don't know you Rick," Lisa said, jumping into the conversation.

Rick smiled and looked at the monitor in his Veritech and saw Lisa's face there. Had see been watching him the whole time? Or listening to him?

'Thank goodness she isn't a mind reader like Max,' Rick thought to himself.

"Well, glad to see that I can get some company out here," Rick said to Lisa, who smiled at his arrogant smile.

"I mean, if the great Lisa Hayes is taking time out of her busy schedule to talk to me, I must be awesome, or something like it." Rick said, again flashing a smile.

Lisa laughed out loud at him, in spite of the tense situation. She laughed and realized that just talking to Rick made her happy, and that she wished they would talk more, and spend more time together, off duty anyway. She smiled celestially, and she saw as Rick picked up on the smile.

Rick, for his part, noticed her smile and could only try to imagine what was going through her head. He found himself being drawn rather quickly to some very naughty and very situation inappropriate thoughts. He suddenly noticed that there was a sudden shift in the amount of blood, and where it was being shifted.

'Oh shit!' Rick thought to himself and began to think of the most disgusting thing he could. Fortunately for him, it was about this time that a dozen explosions rocked the Satellite Factory and broke the long silence of space.

Rick looked at Lisa and gave her a dashing smile and wink, "See you on the other side cutie," and with that Rick ended the feed and propelled himself into the fight.

-----------------------------

Max and Miriya entered the breach and landed in one of the many corridors inside the Satellite Factory.

Max looked to Miriya's Battloid and nodded the metal shod head and Miriya started off down one of the corridors. Max followed closely, watching their rear so that no one would get the drop on them from behind.

They stopped and peeked around a corner only to be greeted with laser blasts from armored Zentraedi. They flattened back against the wall and Miriya leaned out and fired down the corridor and caused the Zentraedi to duck down and Max scampered across the open corridor to the other side.

The Zentraedi moved into the corridor opening, hoping to draw the Veritechs into hand to hand combat, but they charged the position and fell to the withering fire that sprayed at them from both sides of the corridor opening.

They moved into the corridor, careful to not step on the bodies that had blood pooling around them. It was something that Max was unaccustomed to seeing; he was used to explosions and vaporization, not broken bodies and gore.

They crept slowly, and as quietly as a Battloid would allow, they turned the corner and ran into a startled Zentraedi. His shocked expression didn't last long as Miriya hit him with the butt of her gun pod and sent him sprawling, unconscious against the wall.

Max sighed and wondered how much of this it was going to take; he heard the explosion emanating from what he assumed was the main hanger bay, and the main Zentraedi defense zone.

Max looked up and almost ran straight into Miriya, she had stopped and was surveying the area.

The room was amazingly large, like all things on Zentraedi scale, and there were a huge number of odd machines around, doing things, operating even during the thick of the fighting. All Max could do was staring up and around, the room was so large that it was dark before he could even see the ceiling.

"Maximillian, we are where we need to be. Let's check to make sure there is no one else around."

Max nodded and they began to search the vast room that they had wandered into.

-----------------------------

Rick flew in and released a score of missiles at the Zentraedi hunkered down in the main hanger bay and hoped that eventually they would be able to penetrate the defenses that had to this point held them out of the Satellite Factory.

Several attacks had been beaten back and now the situation was getting desperate as they were losing more and more pilots to the determined defenses that the Zentraedi had erected.

Rick watched as another Zentraedi attack met with disaster as they were all obliterated. Rick grimaced, this was not going there way and what made matter worse was that Miriya and Max were inside and they couldn't get to them, and if this fight went on too much longer at this rate, there wouldn't be a Max and Miriya any longer.

Rick looked around at the reforming RDF and Zentraedi forces and knew that with the dwindling numbers, they couldn't afford to attack the same way anymore. He got an idea.

"Lisa!" Rick said as he opened a connection to Breetai's ship.

Lisa was surprised to hear Rick say her name so desperately and full of need, albeit, for a different reason she like it anyway.

"What is it Rick," Lisa asked him, knowing that the situation was getting desperate and grim with each passing minute.

"Breetai needs to fire with some of his forward cannons into the main hanger bay, we can't get through there defenses and we need to hurry so Max and Miriya aren't overwhelmed."

Lisa looked at Breetai and he nodded his head and issued the orders.

"You got it Rick," Lisa told him and she silently prayed that he would be ok after all this.

-----------------------------

Max and Miriya had finished scouting out the large room, whatever it may have been, and were now waiting, facing the only was in or out, and waiting for what they knew would be a Zentraedi attack.

As they stood expectantly, there was a huge shockwave throughout the Satellite Factory that shook the very ground they stood on and caused them fall to the ground. Max checked his controls and saw that everything was ok with him and looked to Miriya and saw that she too was ok.

"What was that Maximillian," Miriya asked.

Max didn't know, and he knew that Miriya hadn't asked because she thought he knew, but it was because they were concerned. Concerned that they may be trapped in here, with no was out, and a failing attack on the main hanger bay.

Another shockwave swept through, and this time the two of them managed to keep their feet and eyes on the entrance. They knew it was coming now, the RDF and Zentraedi combined forces had finally managed to breach the main defense line, and now the renegade Zentraedi would come to destroy the vital equipment, or just all of it.

They heard heavy and fast footfalls, but the help their fire until they were sure it was a Zentraedi. As he appeared in the doorway, they let loose and sent him sprawling back. He hit the ground with a sick, wet thud.

They knew it was only going to get worse as they soon heard the sound of metal shod feet clomping their way. It was now that Max and Miriya decided to not wait until they saw who they were firing at and started to fire down into the darkened corridor and could hear the rounds and explosion as a result of their metal fire.

As soon as they stopped firing, the room got quiet and the entire area was filled with a sickening quiet, the proverbial calm before the storm. Max was a little worried, outnumbered and outgunned, it made him think of Custer and his Last Stand.

He smiled ruefully to himself; this wouldn't be their end, only meant that things would now be a little more interesting and that it would give Miriya and him a chance to have some time to them.

But the calm was shattered suddenly and violently as an explosion right outside the doorway cause Max and Miriya to return their attention to the issue at hand, namely their survival.

They both fired furiously at the enemy starting to fill the doorway and saw as many of them fell and many more took their place. They soon started to fire back, wildly at first, but with more accuracy as the smoke began to clear and they could see their targets.

Max and Miriya both switched to Guardian Mode and began to move around so that they would make harder targets and could utilize their light missiles.

'Shit,' Max swore to himself, 'this is going to be a tough one.'

-----------------------------

Rick and the remaining Zentraedi and RDF forces entered what was left of the main hanger bay, and began to sift though the carnage and make their way for the innards of the Satellite Factory. They had t home in on Max and Miriya's signal so that they could find them and link up and start to root out the remaining Zentraedi.

He directed the remaining forces to split up and one group move one way and his team the other.

As they started to move out, they encountered stiff resistance, and soon, the march forward had been slowed to a mere crawl.

Rick was getting frustrated and knew that they were racing the clock, and that time was of the essence. They pushed forward, but each forward movement cost them someone, and they were running out of someone's.

Rick felt something snap, he configured from Battloid to Guardian and pushed with all his might on the throttle and felt himself shoot into this seat as he propelled forward at an incredible rate.

He swooped by the Zentraedi and turned quickly, loosing missiles and firing at anything and everything, killing all those in his way. It had been a stupid move, but almost everything to this point had been stupid, and now they were taking casualties as a result of their inability to move forward.

Rick liked Breetai, but he hadn't liked this idea so much, he didn't say anything because he didn't have any better ideas.

Rick moved forward dispatching all those that dared face him in his state of pure blood-lust. No one was spared, and Rick dealt with all those accordingly, giving them what they wanted: a glorious Zentraedi death.

The number of Zentraedi that came after the infiltrating forces slowed, and soon it got to the point where there was no more actually coming for them. It made Rick nervous to know that they were now running roughshod around the Satellite Factory. It made him worry about a trap of some sorts.

Rick looked down and the signal from Max and Miriya was getting stronger and they were getting closer. They rounded a corner and saw clear signs of a pitched fight, scorch marks, shattered door frames and wall, and most off all, the bodies.

If Rick had been surprised by that, he was even more surprised to see the form of two sitting Battloid's waiting for them. When they looked up and saw that it was RDF Veritechs, one of them stood and Rick could immediately see it was Max.

"What took you so long Boss?" Max asked with as nonchalant as if he had been waiting for the bus.

Rick sighed, rolled his eyes, and thought about punching Max.

"Sorry, we had a little problem at the door," Rick told him.

Max gave a laugh and told Rick it was good to see that the Cavalry had finally arrived.

Miriya piped up on the Comm. and threw a question to Max, "But Maximillian, there was no door here when they got here. Nor are these micronians on horses like I thought micronian cavalry was."

Max gave a groan and put his hand to his head, and Rick got a good laugh at Max and Miriya's expense.

"Ah, the novelties of teaching someone everything about a culture," Rick muttered as he looked around the room.

Something caught Rick's eye and he gave it a closer look and tried to remember what he was looking at.

It hit him after a second, "Ah shit," said Rick, "_that_ doesn't look good."

Everyone turned and looked up to see that something important had been hit and was giving off sparks. It was the Processing Core for the Satellite Factory.

-----------------------------

Lisa took in all the photos of the Processing Core and handed them off the Exedore and several other experts in the field of Protoculture technology. None of them were on the level that Dr. Lang was, but they would have to do until he actually arrived to get a good look at things.

The battle hadn't been over ten minutes before reports began to stream out about the damage that had been wrought inside the factory and how it had turned into a killing ground. Several very important components of the Satellite Factory had been damaged, mainly it's Fold Engines, though thankfully, the damage to those had been limited, and seemed very repairable.

But this put a terrible hitch in the plan of having the Satellite Factory fold back to Earth with them. Not to mention the fact that they had to clear about bodies, make general repairs and eventually get Exedore and Lang to survey the damage done to the Processing Core.

Through all of this, Lisa had been thinking of Rick, not too uncommon an occurrence all on its own, but more or less it had to do with what she had been thinking about Rick and the context of those thoughts.

Lisa never really thought that she had a chance to compete with Miss Macross, that she was even on the same level with that airhead, but it had occurred to Lisa, not too long ago, that she didn't need to be on the same level with her.

'I'm already above her anyway, just for the sheer fact that I have an IQ above ten,' thought Lisa.

Thankfully, the search of the Satellite Factory had been taken over by Zentraedi, seeing as how it was all written in Zentraedi Glyph's and no human could discern what it meant. She was glad for that because now that meant that Zentraedi would take over the operation for now and the RDF personal could go get some sleep or Lisa at least needed sleep.

The only thing left to do now was make sure that all the remaining Veritech pilots got back safely and that the all of them were accounted for, dead or alive. Sadly there had been numerous casualties, more so then had been anticipated for.

'Thirty-four pilots lost,' thought Lisa, 'we haven't lost that many pilots in one fight since the fight with Dolza.'

She walked slowly, and aimlessly, lost in her thoughts about Rick and the fight and lots of other things that were seemingly out of her control. All she could do was control her life, and those around her that mattered to her.

She eventually, whether consciously, or unconsciously, she found her way to the makeshift hanger bay for the RDF and she stopped.

'Why is it,' Lisa thought, 'I am always going to him? Why won't he ever come to me?'

Her question had an easy answer as Rick snuck up behind her and grabbed her hand, and pulled her close to him.

She hit his body with a surprised look on her face and a slight oomph, and felt his arms close around her.

She looked up at him with wide eyed shock and saw him smile; he pulled her close and kissed her on the lips with passion and tenderness. They broke the kiss and Rick smiled at Lisa and gave her a thumb up.

"Hey, one good kiss deserves another," Rick said answering her question that was written all over her face.

Now Rick was confused again, and he thought he felt a headache coming on, he had been confused and mad all day and he was getting damn tired of it. He didn't know what had possessed him to kiss her, it had been a spur of the moment type of thing, not that it wasn't nice, just that he didn't know what this meant for Lisa and him, and he and Minmei, though more and more of him felt that she was rapidly falling out of the picture.

Lisa looked at Rick with a shocked look still settled onto her face. Why had he done that? Or better yet, why did she care? Isn't this what she wanted?

'Not if he is only substituting you for Minmei,' her mind screamed. But something else in her subconscious told her that Rick had never been disingenuous with her, and that she shouldn't expect him to start now.

As concerned as Lisa was about Rick's gesture, Rick was not wrestling with what he should do about Lisa. The scene in his head played out like the ones you see on a cartoon where one side sits on one shoulder, and the other sits on the other shoulder.

'You care about her, take a chance damn it,' said one side of his mind.

The other screamed back with equal ferocity, 'No, no don't go and make it any harder for you to get Minmei, you already have to pry her away from that loser cousin of hers, and still juggle a possible military career and social life.'

Rick struggled internally with himself and didn't know what to do, but in the end, after only a few seconds of smiling at Lisa and fighting inside himself, he decided to go Ball to the Wall, and make something with Lisa if there is anything to make with her.

Rick moved closer to her and they started walking down the corridors to their respective quarters, talking as they went.

Rick telling her about the hellacious fighting inside the Factory and the incredible difficulties getting into the Factory through the enemy defenses, all the while worrying about getting Max and Miriya out.

Lisa for her part told Rick about the number of pilots they lost, and the extensive damage reports that were filtering into Breetai's command ship detailing the damage to the Satellite Factory.

All the while they were walking, Rick was trying desperately to think of anyway to get Lisa to spend more time with him so he could talk to her more, about anything but work, or Minmei he added, don't talk about her.

He couldn't even count the number of times he had run to Lisa to talk about Minmei, and Lisa, to her never ending credit, had listened to all his issues and complaints. Sometimes he wondered if he should nominate Lisa for Sainthood.

Rick laughed.

Lisa looked at Rick with a puzzled expression, "And what is so funny Rick?"

Rick looked at her and could see that she was confused, 'Oh lord, I hope she isn't as confused as I was, well, still am,' his mind said.

"Nothing," said Rick, debating on whether to tell her or not and decided that since he was already going balls to the wall, why not this too.

"I was just thinking about nominating you for Sainthood, you know, because you have a never ending well of patience for an idiot like me."

Lisa looked at him with some shock and some surprise.

"Why do you say that Rick?" Lisa asked.

"Well, I'd always go to you with my issues about Minmei and everything else like that, and to your credit, you always listened. I don't know why you listened, I guess it is because you really do care, but I appreciate it anyway." Rick had no idea where all of this was coming from, but it made no difference. It was how he felt and he needed to say it.

They had stopped walking and were now looking at each other, they were in front of Rick's quarters and Rick was tempted to ask her if she would join him.

"Well, mister, someone has to care about you, or else you might hurt yourself," Lisa said in a mocking motherly tone.

Rick laughed and decided, 'What the hell, ask her in.'

"Hey Lisa, would you like to join me for…whatever I have in my quarters," Rick asked her, unsure of what he actually had in his refrigerator.

Lisa smiled and looked at him, "You'd only be so lucky if I said yes."

She made him sweat it out for a minute, and she could see that he was getting a crestfallen look about him.

'Make him want you Lisa,' was something that Claudia had told once, and she was determined to make him work for it.

Rick was confused…again. This was becoming a trend today and he was beginning to want nothing more then to go to sleep and stop being confused. He had thought for sure that Lisa would say yes, but apparently he had been wrong.

'Oh well, maybe another time,' Rick told himself.

Lisa could see a change in his demeanor and decided now was the time to say yes, "Oh Rick, you baby, of course I will join you for whatever you may have in your quarters, I just hope it isn't mold."

They laughed and Lisa and Rick both walked into his quarters, talking happily about everything but work, and Minmei.

-----------------------------

A/N: I know there was an ungodly amount of action in this chapter, and this one is my longest yet in terms of pages actually typed. But I ground it out and made it as good as I could for you so that you could enjoy more of this. But yeah, I made Rick a little more forward with Lisa, but was he ever dishonest with her? No, just confused, which I hope I made abundantly clear. No worries angst lovers, there will be some of that, but only as much as I can tolerate.

At any rate, I hope you enjoyed and I'll step down from my soapbox now and just ask you nicely to please, please, please, _please_ review. Any review is a good one, even if it is just constructive criticism.


	3. Chapter III

A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed to this point, I just hope I can keep those of you who don't review coming back to read more.

Thanks to dwparsnip for continuing to tolerate my youthful inexperience and continuing to beta my chapters for me. Thanks also go to Cicero Phelps for. Anyway, forward and onward I say lets get this chapter started.

Oh yeah, and please review. Thank you.

-----------------------------

Rick surveyed the continuing construction and repairs that were ongoing to the Satellite Factory. He sat in his Veritech, watching from a distance, more drifting in space as opposed to actually flying.

It had been three days since the liberation of the Satellite Factory, and there was still a lot of damage to the Processing Core, and they were having a few problems with the Fold Drives. All-in-all, it was a clusterfuck, pure and simple and there seemed to be no real timeline for when it would be ready to go back to Earth.

Before, when the RDF had undertaken operations, they wouldn't have to worry about timelines and quotas. But things had radically changed since the end of the Robotech War.

'Not that it is really over,' Rick mused, 'all the politicos just want everyone to think it is over so that they can go back to trying to make things the way they were.'

The way things were hadn't worked very well, and the Global Civil War was a perfect example of how the world had been mismanaged.

One word summed it up, and Rick said the word with a profound level of disgust and revulsion: Politics. The fact that the RDF was now responsible and answerable to a cohesive government, as opposed to being allowed to romp freely was becoming a hindrance in every sense of the word.

Politics had almost made the mission to the Satellite Factory a non-issue, but thanks to the weight that Gloval had with a large number of those very politicians, he had managed to sway them into approving this mission.

'But how much longer can the old man keep them all sold on the positives of bring the factory home,' Rick asked himself, reflecting on the monstrosity that was the Satellite Factory.

The fact that the Satellite Factory had been damaged, and that the RDF wanted to bring it home was not the issue that the Earth Government had, it was the cost of keeping the crews and all the required maintenance that was piling up as a result of the actual damage wrought.

'Money, of course it's money, because we all know that that is the _most_ important thing right now,' Rick thought to himself with a good measure of disgust.

True enough that it was an expensive venture and the damage had been greater than any had anticipated, but that was the way it was when you were at war. You ask anyone in the RDF and in Macross City and the surrounding areas if the war was over, and they would scoff at you.

But they weren't back on Earth, and they were far from the gangrenous wheeling and dealing politicians that cropped up all over Macross, and other cities. They were out here in space, and that was something for Rick to be thankful about.

He noticed a bright flash and saw another ship fold into normal space and make for the reconstructed main hanger bay. It was another batch of engineers, technicians, electricians, and the list goes on and on. Rick smiled, with this new crop of people; the total population inside the factory had jumped to an astounding fifty-five thousand people.

Rick looked on, and wondered where the hell they were keeping all those people, but he knew it was better to not think such things. He was a pilot after all, thinking was not truly his forte, and it tended to get him confused.

Dwelling on his confusion sent him spiraling in another direction, a very Lisa Hayes direction. That happened a lot he noticed, and decided he'd succumb to his wilder urges and just think.

As he knew it would, thinking caused Rick confusion, and to this point, he had been confused for a week solid, and he had begun wondering if this was what it was like with all women.

'Damn women,' Rick said to himself, 'God must have given them some sort of confusion emitter. I'll bet it has something to do with their estrogen.' Rick smiled at his own stupid joke and knew that it had less to do with Lisa, and more to do with him.

Despite the confusion she inspired in him, he couldn't get enough of having her around. He enjoyed her company, especially when she was in a good mood, and was in a playful, joking mood, which seemed to have persisted for more than two weeks.

Rick smiled, 'Thank god, she is much more fun this way; I don't know why I didn't see this side of her before?'

Something inside of him told him that he knew the answer, but he was just too damn stubborn to admit it to himself.

Rick now deep in thought, went over all the memories that he had with Lisa, the hundreds upon hundreds of them. Some of them made him happy; some made him angry, and a few of them made him long for her right now.

As much as he hated to admit it, Lisa was more prevalent in Rick's life then anyone else, except maybe Max.

She was always there to listen to his issues, and help him with his heartbreak and give him valuable advice about how to deal with subordinates. Rick smiled, thankful for Lisa's ever-present and guiding advice in his life. He really would be lost without her.

Again, something inside of him told him that he would be more than lost without her. The feeling was like a tearing in his body and a shredding of his soul. He was shocked at the feeling that swept over him, and he wondered if that meant something more.

Shocked as he was about the feeling that washed over him just seconds before, he was even more shocked now at the revelation that was coming over him now. In the deep cold, vast emptiness of space, something warm and filling came over Rick.

"I-I love her?" Rick asked himself quietly and softly, almost afraid to say the word to loud in case someone would hear him in space.

Rick's eyes were wide now and he was looking out into the black void of space, "I love her," Rick asked himself, this time testing out what his heart and mind were going to do.

His heart said nothing, but that to Rick was nothing more than a confirmation of what he had just said.

His mind on the other hand, rejected it, refusing to believe that he could love anyone other than Minmei. Try as he might, though, his mind slowly began to crumble and give way to his heart.

Something pierced Rick's fog of confusion, and it seemed that all the troubles that had been plaguing him regarding Lisa, Minmei, politics, and everything else had been thrown a million miles away. Rick smiled.

"I love her," Rick said to himself, this time declaring it to himself. He smiled again.

But the euphoric happiness came crashing down only second later as a terrifying thought washed over him like a bucket of cold icy water dumped on his head. Rick clenched the stick of his Veritech a little harder and felt every muscle in his body tense up. He felt a fear that he had never felt before rise into his chest and bubble.

"Does she love me?" Rick questioned the cold stars and space. Rick hoped that she did, and was determined to find out.

But he didn't need to go looking to find out if Lisa loved him, all he had to do was reflect on the things Lisa had done for him. He thought over and over of all their encounters and as he thought about them, one in particular stuck out in his head, and it was rather recent.

He felt himself being drawn deep into thought, and began to analyze the memory. He flashbacked to the moment in question.

-----------------------------

Rick rummaged through his refrigerator, cursing his man habits for having nothing more than snacking food and junk all over the place.

Rick looked more and more and he saw that all he really had in the refrigerator was a head of lettuce, 'Where in god's name did I get that?'

Some olives, 'What the hell…?' Rick was stunned to see he had those.

Rick looked a little more and found some cheese and salad dressing, 'You've got to be kidding me.' Rick said to himself.

'This is really all I got,' Rick yelled at himself, 'sometimes being a man and having nothing good to eat juts sucks.'

He opened his freezer and hoped against hope that there was something, anything, in there he could serve Lisa.

If Rick had been hoping for a divine miracle, he was sorely mistaken. The sight that welcomed him might as well have told him that he was screwed sideways.

'There was a tray of ice, corndogs, frozen burritos, frozen pizzas and a whole lot of nothing!' Rick swore silently to himself and wondered how he managed to stay in shape. Rick heard some movement behind him and saw to his growing horror Lisa had entered the kitchen.

'Shit,' thought Rick, 'she's gonna wanna leave after she sees the have nothing to eat.'

Lisa walked up to Rick and looked into the freezer and smiled and gave a little squeal, "You have pizza? Awesome, I have been wanting some for a while now, but I can never bring myself to ever get it myself."

The dumbfounded look Rick wore knew must look comical, but he was more than a little floored when Lisa had wanted pizza. The very fact that someone who was in as good as shape as Lisa would ever eat something so…so…bad for you was a little shocking to him.

Lisa could see that Rick was more than a little thunderstruck and she was enjoying surprising Rick in more and more ways.

She looked a little deeper and saw a box of corndogs and grabbed those too. She was a little excited, it had been a long time since she had had the chance to pig out on really bad food, but this was as good a time as any.

Rick, for all the effort he had been exerting, could not snap himself out of his surprise. Rick was a little scared at the fact that he was so shocked by everything about this woman, but that was something that was out of his control now.

He just stepped back and watched as she ran roughshod over his kitchen and busied herself with making something to eat. Rick smiled at the scene and reluctantly admitted to himself that he liked this feeling, even if he couldn't figure it out.

For him, it was the idea that a woman, and not just any woman, but Lisa Hayes, was moving around in his kitchen, preparing them something to eat.

Rick was no chauvinist, sure he had him moments, but he didn't really believe that women belonged in the kitchen. Pops had taught him better than that. He had taught Rick that women were just as strong as men, and could do many things just as well as men, and a few they could do better.

He nodded his head silently affirming what Pops had told him long ago. An to this day, Rick had always thought that women could do anything that a man could do, but he would never stop feeling that it was his duty to protect those very women, even if they said they didn't need any protecting.

He smiled and watched Lisa. Regarding her every move, and wondering if he would ever get the chance to repay the favor and cook for her. He laughed, what she was doing really wasn't cooking, but it was close enough.

Lisa, for her part, knew Rick was watching and oddly felt at home moving around his kitchen, making junky food for the two of them.

She looked over her shoulder and gave Rick a small smile, "If you make one wisecrack about woman in the kitchen and the bedroom, Hunter, I will kick you ass."

Rick looked at her and thought about it for a second and as tempting as the idea of teasing Lisa was, and especially when she was giving him a hard time, he decided to not go there, 'Not yet, anyway,' he told himself.

Lisa stood up and looked at Rick, "Well that should do it for now, in about fifteen minutes it should all be done," she said to him.

An awkward silence fell over them and they just sort of stared at one another, not saying anything, but the looks in their eyes saying enough for the both of them at the time.

Rick smiled and made a move for the living room and asked Lisa to follow him.

They sat down on the couch and began to talk about more childhood memories and Lisa laughed at the story about how Rick had almost got Roy killed when they had started flying.

They were so immersed in talking to one another that they barely registered the oven telling them that their food was ready. Rick politely got up and went to get it. He returned a few minutes later with the food and set it down.

They both began eating, still talking about their childhoods.

"Well, I had so much fun in the flying circus, and I thought that life couldn't get any better, until the day that mom died," Rick said his eyes hollow seeming and cast downwards.

Lisa recoiled at the words and looked at Rick; she hadn't known that Rick's mother had died. She had always assumed that Pops had raised the boy, but never knew that he had lost his mother.

"How old were you when she died Rick," Lisa asked him.

Rick looked up with a sad look, "I was nine when she died, about the age Roy started to teach me to fly."

Lisa moved closer to Rick and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and he laid his head on her shoulder, "I remember the day that my mother died too, Rick," Lisa said softly.

He pulled away a little and his unexpected look told her that he hadn't known her mother had died, too.

"I was about nine also when my mother died, and what makes it worse, is it was Christmas time, too," Lisa said a little unevenly.

'Damn it,' Lisa swore to herself, 'why is it that I always get so damn emotional around this man? What does he do to me that make me let all of my emotions show?' Lisa knew, and she knew full and well what it was, she loved him.

She set her plate down now and laid back, Rick still looking at her with a look of reverence.

"I suppose we're more like then we thought before," Lisa said nonchalantly.

But instead of responding, like a normal person would at a time like this, Rick was acting on impulse.

'No, not impulse,' Rick told himself, 'it's more than that…a feeling?' He wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it was drawing him closer to her and he didn't much feel like stopping himself.

Lisa noticed the silence and turned to look at Rick, but instead turned her head right into the face of a very handsome and somber looking Rick Hunter. To say she was a little shocked was an understatement, she was totally shocked, but she did her bets to hide it.

She looked into his eyes and saw compassion, caring, tenderness, and for a fleeting second, love, before a wave of confusion masked it all.

'Damn,' Lisa thought, 'he is still confused.' She inwardly screamed at herself for thinking that this was going anywhere. But she couldn't help but think about what she saw in his eyes, and she knew that those emotions don't come out for just any reason.

'Would it really be worth it? To have Rick this way and to then watch him go back to Minmei day after day?' Half of her screamed a no, but another, stronger half of her screamed yes in a very pronounced and that side won out.

He leaned in and Lisa could feel a white hot emotion run all over her, and a feeling of culmination was peaking in her chest. This is what she had been waiting for so long, and now that it was here, she still couldn't help but wonder if it was really for her, or just out of his longing for Minmei.

Rick finally gave her what she wanted when his lips touched hers and they both felt a jolt of electric emotions course through them.

"Lisa tried to sense any false emotions in the kiss, but try as she might, she could sense no dispassion in his touch, not even when she felt Rick starting to deepen the kiss."

She obliged, and started to kiss back forcefully, finally having gotten what she wanted.

Rick broke the kiss and started to kiss her neck up and down and started to let his hands roam all over her body, feeling anything and everything.

Lisa too began to work her hands all over Rick and felt his toned chest and reminded herself that it was something that she really wanted to see.

They both looked back at one another, caution thrown to the wind, they both attacked each other heatedly and began to kiss with wild abandon and a passion borne of repressed emotions that they both had for one another.

Rick's mind was creaming at him, 'Stop, stop, stop!' But Rick paid no heed to that, never in his life had being with someone felt so right, not even Minmei had elicited the same kind of electric emotions that were welling up in him.

His mind persisted in screaming at him, 'Stop, you're running your chances with Minmei,' a part of his mind said.

'Was there really ever a chance with Minmei,' asked another portion of his brain.

'Yeah, that's a good point there, I'd have to go with him on that one, she always told you that you were her best friend,' and with that Rick's mind relented to what he was doing now.

Somehow, while he argued with himself, Lisa had managed to get on top of Rick and was straddling him. He looked up and saw that Lisa was now missing the top of her uniform and Rick's slight surprise registered on his face.

He didn't mind taking it all in, and looked at her body with appreciation.

It was fit, athletic, and you could tell that there was almost no fat on her at all. Rick liked what he saw and looked up at her face and he could see that she was giving him a puzzling look.

"Don't tell me Hunter that you've never seen a woman with no shirt on," Lisa said with her hands on her hips, face fixed with a sarcastic smile.

Rick looked at her with a "what-the-hell-are-you-thinking" and rolled his eyes.

"Oh really now Lisa, you forget who you're talking to, I am Rick Hunter, all the ladies want me," he said mustering as much arrogance and pizzazz as he could.

"Oh, really," said Lisa, as she leaned down closer to his ear, "Well than aren't I lucky I have you right now?"

Rick was taken aback by Lisa's open sexuality at the moment and his look must have said something else.

"Oh, is it not as good as Minmei's," Lisa asked incredulously.

Rick realizing where this was going, quickly responded, "Oh no, it's better, but than again, not that I would know. I've never seen Minmei this way before."

Lisa gave him a questioning look, before she leaned down and kissed him with as much passion, longing, and desire as she could muster. It was the first time she had felt this way about anyone after Riber and she was determined to win this man for herself, even if it had to be a little unconventionally.

Rick was again stupefied by Lisa's actions. Though he was beginning to enjoy finding out more about this woman, even when he had thought he knew it all, or a good bit about her and how she acts.

He was just beginning to enjoy everything that was happening when he heard the worst sound he could have ever heard at that moment.

The phone in his quarters was ringing.

Lisa pulled back and flopped herself down on the opposite end of the couch with a disgusted sigh.

'Their timing is impeccable,' Lisa thought crossly.

Rick looked at her for a moment and considered not answering the phone, oh how he didn't want to answer the phone. The look from Lisa told him that he had to and he got up and answered the phone.

She could tell by the falling look on his face that it wasn't anything that was going to end well for the moment they had been sharing.

Rick hung up the phone and walked over to Lisa, looking for his shirt, wondering how he had managed to not notice that it was missing. He smiled to her and she gave him a rueful smile back.

"Lisa, I'm sorry but…" she stopped him and she knew that he had to go.

"Rick, I understand, we both do, we have our duty to perform, just seems to sad that yours happens to be needed right now," Lisa said with a sad, but radiant smile.

Rick smiled back, and leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, something a little odd seeming seeing as how they had almost had sex with each other, "Well do this again real soon, I promise, and next time, I'll cook and actually have something to cook."

Lisa beamed inside and knew that she was getting through to this thick-headed pilot. 'Maybe next time, it'll actually go somewhere,' Lisa told herself.

Rick finished fixing himself and turned back to Lisa, "Feel free to stay here as long as you need, I'll let the bridge know where to find you when I get up there," Rick told her as he stopped walked back to her and grabbed a piece of pizza and smiled at her.

Lisa smiled and sat back and reached for a piece of pizza, not bothering to put her shirt back on, 'Oh well,' she thought, 'at least there is pizza.'

-----------------------------

Rick was brought back to reality when he heard Lisa's voice calling him back to reality telling him that Breetai wanted Rick and Lisa to report to him ASAP.

He sighed and transformed back into a Veritech and made for Breetai's command ship. He was a little giddy that he would get to see Lisa again, but that emotion was tempered by whatever Breetai had deemed so necessary to call them both to him.

He landed his Veritech and saw Lisa standing there waiting for him, he smiled at her, a big, dumb, goofy smile, but he didn't care. He was happy to see her after his outer space revelation. He was eager to tell her how he felt so that someone else would know besides the stars and space.

"Well, Lisa, what do you think Breetai has to tell that is so important that he yanked us from active-duty to talk to us?" Rick asked, hoping Lisa knew something he didn't.

Lisa shook her head; she knew nothing that Rick didn't know.

"No idea Rick," Lisa told him watching him for any changes since their experience they had shared not too long ago. She was sure that he would revert back to the "old Rick" and start treating her the way he had used to.

But she was utterly shocked when Rick offered her his hand to hold. She was floored and she really didn't know how to respond. It was something that she was sure he wouldn't do because she felt that he didn't want anyone to know for fear that word would get back to Minmei.

"Rick," Lisa began, "since when did we hold hands?"

"I thought that is what couples did," Rick told her.

She shook her head and looked at him with abounding shock, 'Did he just say…say that we're a couple,' Lisa asked herself.

Lisa took his hand and that started to walk towards the bridges, drawing looks the entire way. Not that either one of them noticed.

"Isn't that Commander Hunter and Captain Hayes," Someone asked as they passed, "and they're holding hands?"

Someone laughed and looked at him, "Alright Ron, pay up, I told you they would get together," Ron groaned as he handed the man a twenty.

'Well, I may have lost the bet, but at least things around here will be a little quieter.' Thought Ron ruefully. He smiled, he was happy for them.

-----------------------------

Rick and Lisa did manage to make it to the Bridge and Lisa was on cloud nine, and if there had been higher then a nine, she'd have been there too.

But the looks they were getting here were different from the admiring looks they were getting from everyone else.

They quickly released each others hands and looked at everyone.

Claudia stepped up to them and gave her an odd look.

"Breetai is waiting for you over there," Claudia told them. They both looked to the human sized briefing room used by the RDF and exchanged puzzled looks.

"Breetai's on the Satellite Factory," Claudia said with a huff and ushered them into the room.

After the door closed she looked back to the other ladies who were monitoring the Bridge and gave them a thumbs-up and pumped her fist once.

The sight of Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes holding hands had not been missed and was not lost on Claudia and the other ladies.

'It's about damn time those two get their act together,' Claudia told herself.

-----------------------------

Rick and Lisa walked into the room to see the video conferencing monitor on and watched as Breetai talked with two individuals sitting with their backs to them.

"Exedore are you sure this blasted thing is functioning properly," Breetai asked in an exasperated tone.

"Yes milord was the off-screen reply," from Exedore somewhere off screen.

Rick looked to the two people sitting facing Breetai and felt a cold fear grip him. The silhouette of one of the people was small, petite and had long hair.

The other was strikingly similar and Rick immediately knew why.

'Oh sweet Jesus Mother of Mary,' Rick swore blasphemously.

The smaller figure whirled around, the dress flying and swooshing through the air as it moved.

Rick looked to Lisa who wore a flabbergasted look and fixed him with a horrifyingly accusing look. Then they both winched as they heard the highest pitched whine ever.

"Riiiiiiiick," Minmei screamed as she bounded for him and covered the more than ten feet in only two steps.

She enveloped him in a bear hug and looked at him, "Did you miss me Rick, huh, did you?"

Rick looked at her with a terrified look, as he looked from Lisa to Minmei and then back again. Lisa and Minmei noticed Rick's indecisiveness and gave a sideways glance at one another.

"Yeah, I guess a little Minmei," Rick said, trying to be nice, but trying to not sound excited to see her, which he wasn't really.

Minmei released him and he moved away and inched his way to Lisa, who he stood next to, feeling a sheet of calm envelop him, as he watched the scene before him.

Minmei was visibly shocked at Rick's withdrawal to Lisa and his comfortable posture and pose with her as opposed to his stiff and brittle response to her.

Lisa listened to Kyle, who she was shocked had allowed himself to be take this far away from Earth to come and perform for Military people.

"So, if you'll just show us to our rooms, we'd be grateful," Kyle said sullenly.

Lisa thought for a moment and knew that there were no extra place for them to stay unless…

Lisa smiled evilly and looked to Rick, "Would it be too much for you to move some of your things into my quarters so we can give them yours," Lisa asked casually.

Rick's look was priceless; his look was astonished at first then to male mischievousness.

"No Lisa, I don't think that'd be a problem," Rick said, "as a matter of fact, I'll go get on that right now."

Rick backed away, and took off at a sprint towards his quarters, and Lisa motioned for Kyle and Minmei to follow her as she smiled contently.

'Oh yes, Miss Macross, I have him now,' Lisa's mind yelled.

-----------------------------

I changed it; I think you'll like this more than the other idea.


	4. Chapter IV

A/N: Glad people liked the last chapter's ending; it was evil, but nice nonetheless.

Well…let's get to the good stuff…

Oh, yeah, review please, thank you.

-----------------------------

Minmei's emotions ran wild through her mind, as she struggled to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She looked in the mirror of her makeshift dressing room, and she could see the clear and present shock on her face. But one question continued to plague her as she sat and contemplated what she had seen.

"Why," she asked her reflection, hoping that maybe the parallel Minmei would know something she didn't. When no answer came, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes tight, and pinched herself, hoping that she'd wake from this nightmare, and have Rick come back to her.

"Please, please dear god, let this be a dream, I couldn't have lost Rick, not now, not when I was ready for him to be with me," she said to herself, feeling the tears threatening to well up and erupt and flow all down her face.

She gave the skin on her arm a slight pinch.

'Ow,' she thought as she rubbed where she had pinched herself, but as she opened her eyes, nothing had changed, and everything was exactly the way they had been before she had closed her eyes.

She could feel the despair creeping up on her; she could feel hopelessness that she hadn't felt before in her life wash over her and drain the warmth and happiness out of her like a bucket of ice water being dumped on her head.

Never in her life had she felt as listless and cold as she did now. She struggled to figure out why it was that something like Rick's never ending love and adulation was enough to bring her world crashing down.

She was Minmei; she was the light and hope for a race, and the greatest celebrity and star on earth, and beyond. She had the love of millions of people, and Zentraedi alike, which should have been enough for her, 'Rick be damned,' she told herself bitterly.

She gave a rueful and unhappy look into the mirror and knew that she couldn't blame Rick for any of this. He had waited so long, and after waiting for so long, he had found someone else. She made a face, and thought about the woman Rick had finally latched onto.

'Lisa Hayes,' Minmei thought the name, and for the first time in her life, she felt bile in her stomach and was consumed with an utter dislike for someone whom she didn't know.

"What does he see in her, anyway," Minmei asked the reflection Minmei.

She continued on, "I mean, she is pretty enough, but she isn't me, she isn't Miss Macross, she can't hold a candle to me. But I guess I can kinda see what Rick sees in her, she does have strength about her, and she does come across as a mature woman. Does Rick like older women?"

At the end of her rant, she stood up and looked at herself, and wondered what about she had made Rick finally give up on her, to go and find someone who could never be what she was, a star.

She gave herself a once over, and knew that she was beautiful, she was the culmination of grace and manners, to Minmei, she was the epitome of what women should be, and the idea that Rick had chosen a apparently stuffy, no nonsense RDF officer now galled her to the core.

A slow smile crossed her delicate face as she thought about Rick, her smile deepened as she began to think of what it was that made Rick love her in the first place. She would just remind him of those things that had made Rick hers for so long without having to do anything. She could beat this woman, she was nothing to her, she was Minmei after all, and she would have what she wanted, no matter what it took.

She sat down slowly into the chair and began to pick up make-up and apply it, being careful to use the right make-ups that made her eyes pop, accentuated her cheekbones, and made her appearance as delicate and angelic as she could.

Another smile cracked her face, 'Rick, I want you now, come back to me and we can have everything.'

And Rick she would go after, because to her, Rick was hers and she wouldn't give up without a fight.

-----------------------------

Rick stood apprehensively in the quarters that he and Lisa where to share. He wasn't apprehensive about sharing space with Lisa, that had never been an issue for him, but he was more afraid of his feeling for her, and more importantly, a raven-haired distraction that would only make things that much more difficult for him.

He sat on the couch, which for now, would also serve as his bed. A sardonic smile crossed his face, 'At least it is comfortable,' he told himself bouncing on the cushions like a five year old.

Lisa walked out and looked at him with a bemused look that said it.

"Just seeing how comfortable the couch is," he said as she walked away laughing to herself.

To see her laughing made Rick feel very good, it made him smile and he felt happy about seeing someone else happy.

But the happiness for him was short-lived as Lisa came back into the room with a slightly unhappy face.

'No wait, she looks down right pissed,' he said to himself.

Lisa walked briskly across the room and had the determined look of someone who was about to endure something she hated. Rick for himself couldn't figure out what could have brought this out in her, but it struck him like a ton of bricks.

Minmei was here, and that meant that there was going to be a concert. Rick closed his eyes and shook his head; there was no escaping the woman for Lisa, even out here in the vast reaches of space.

He also knew why she was mad about it; all RDF officers were required to go, except for the bare minimum who would keep watch on the bridge. Which is also why she was busy getting ready, it was actually going to start in a few hours. But what really irked Lisa was the fact that it was something just announced when Minmei arrived, like everyone was supposed to drop everything for little Miss Macross and pander to her spontaneous urgings.

Rick stood up and caught Lisa in on of her high speed walk by's.

"Lisa, settle down, please," Rick said, looking her straight in the eyes.

Lisa seemed to object at first, but huffed and slouched a little, finally calming down. Rick gestured for her to sit, and as she sat down, he sat down next to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close.

She didn't resist, he hadn't expected her to, he inhaled and caught the smell of her and it made him slightly dizzy.

Rick was lost in his mind, the combination of Lisa's nearness and her smell, and his urges were going to make him go mad. He loved her, but he couldn't think of a way to tell her, he was afraid that she didn't love him back, an irrational fear given when she has done for him.

"Lisa," Rick said his voice full of apprehension and fear, not knowing how to ask the question, but knowing if he did, everything would fall into place.

"Lisa, what's it feel like to be in love? I mean, I know what it means to love someone, but I want to know what it's like to be _in_ love with someone," he said, hoping that she didn't laugh outright.

Lisa's eyes widened slightly at the question, and her perplexed mood vanished immediately.

'Was he trying to get at something,' she asked herself. She didn't want to look at Rick for fear he was joking with her, but when she looked into his eyes, she knew he was asking a serious question, and that he wanted an equally serious answer.

Before she answered, she asked him a question of her own, "Why Rick, have you never been in love?"

He made an odd face, one that she had never seen him make before and made a few movements with his free hand that showed he was stumbling in his own head, with his own thoughts.

"Well, I thought I had been once of twice, but I was never sure, they passed with time, so I guess I just feel like that it was fleeting love, nothing true, nothing serious," he finished.

Lisa continued to look at him, debating with herself on whether or not he was being in the level with her. Her "Captain Hayes" persona told her no, but that persona was becoming less and less reliable lately, and she had to rely more on her instincts, and what her heart was telling her.

"Well Rick, love isn't one of those things that can be explained like that," she told him, trying hard to not him feel like she was talking down to him, but she was just being honest.

She could tell by the expression on his face, that he understood, and he wasn't mad for the tone, and that he wanted to hear more.

"Rick, all I can tell you is that when you love someone, they mean everything to you, more than anything else. They are your world and you want them to experience everything with you, and vice versa. It's the way you feel about the person you want to absolutely want to spend the rest of your life with, an that's all I can really say, because it's something that everyone discovers on their own, and in their own way," she said with a sigh, telling him exactly what she wish she could hear from him.

Rick smiled, and thought about what she said. He had for a while now, knew that he had loved Lisa, but he had a feeling that he had loved her before then. Just having not realized it because of a few distractions, mostly just one, named Minmei.

He loved Lisa, and now was the time to tell her, now when they had time with one another. Now away from the worries of the world, and the war. Now when they had only one another and only time for a few days.

Lisa looked at Rick, slightly concerned, she had noticed the smile on his face, that had been easy enough to recognize, but then his face melted into something else, a look that she couldn't put a finger on.

It seemed to her that it was a cross between compassion, love, and enlightenment, and all Lisa could do was sit there and stare at him, with no idea as to what the man was thinking.

"Rick," Lisa ventured, almost afraid to bring him out of his thoughts, "what are you thinking about?"

The look on his face had not changed, and now it was fixated on her, as opposed the wall where it had been only seconds before.

"What am I thinking about," Rick asked without really thinking about what she had asked, just repeating the words she said to him.

He snapped out of his thoughts, his attention shifting now to Lisa. He looked her face over and felt a love that he had never felt before welling up inside of him. He knew this was the real love, because all the things that Lisa had been talking about just a moment before felt right, and more then feeling, they were right, and nothing in his mind could change that.

"You," he said his voice barely above a whisper, with a look that said a million things, but meant only one thing to Lisa.

Rick moved closer to Lisa and kissed her as tenderly and lovingly on the lips as he could, trying to will all his love and compassion for her into this one kiss.

Lisa was shocked, 'but the good shocked,' she told herself, as the kiss that she and Rick were sharing now set off fireworks in her head, and sent jolts of electricity through her, making her feel like butter, and go limp in his arms now.

Rick broke the kiss, but Lisa wouldn't have any of that as she sternly pulled him back down to her and kissed him harder now, tempting his mouth open and sliding her tongue into this mouth. To her satisfaction, this got a slight jolt out of Rick, but no complaints.

She put all her repressed emotions and all her love for Rick back into this kiss and tried to convey to him through her action what her words had failed to do now, to say what she was too afraid to say.

She didn't care about having his love anymore, now she just wanted him, even if it was only once and he would go back to Minmei, thought she doubted it, she just wanted to be with Rick, just to have him and hold him.

This was her once chance to have him, to have something from him that no one could ever take away, whether it be his life in combat, or his affections to another woman, now was the chance she had to take Rick, and she wasn't about to lose it, not now, especially with the Anti-Lisa so close.

But she could feel Rick pulling away, and it irked her.

"Lisa…Lisa," Rick was saying in a muffled voice, through the kiss.

Lisa, exasperated released him, "What is it Rick?"

Rick smiled and gave a slight chuckle, "Lisa, I need to tell you something," he said, hoping that his courage would hold, and that he could get the words out and sound like he actually meant it.

"Lisa, I love you," Rick said, voice as confident as he could make it, his eyes looking into hers, betraying nothing else than what he had just said.

Lisa stopped thinking and just started at Rick.

"Wh-what did you say," Lisa asked him, refusing to believe what she had just heard. He couldn't have said it, not with Miss Macross around, not with what he had been after for so long, so close.

Rick felt his stomach drop, she didn't love him, and his evidence was right there, her reaction and her question. But Rick had already laid himself out there, and he had no choice but to go the rest of the way.

"Lisa Hayes, I love you, very much, and I have for awhile now. I guess it just took me some time to figure it out."

Lisa was still recoiling from the shock of Rick's first admission, and in the wake of that had come a second admission but this was more compelling and more euphoric than the first. For the first time in ages, Lisa felt a sense of enduring happiness and joy wash over her and fill her, wiping away the sorrow and anguish that were usually her company.

She looked at him, and now realized that she hadn't said anything, nor made any movements. Just staring at him, with what she assumed was a shocked look, and an open mouth. She felt herself kick into gear.

"Rick, I…I don't know what to say, I mean-" she began, but Rick cut her off, and stood up quickly, leaving Lisa alone on the couch.

He seemed mad, as he shook his head and threw his arms around like an old hen.

"I knew it, I knew you didn't love me, damn it," Rick said as he continued to pace around, frantically looking at everything but Lisa.

The look that he wore now was of utter dejection and someone who had tried and failed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he was saying with his back to her, not paying attention to her as she got up behind him and walked up to him.

She walked up to him and spun him around quickly and looked him in the eyes, and then kissed him, passionately and hard at first but quickly gave way to tender and soft. They broke the kiss and Lisa looked at him, her emerald green eyes sparkling.

"Rick, I do love you, I love you very much too," she said, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her soul, "I was just so shocked that you had said it to me, because I had for so long thought that you didn't love me. I was almost about to give up hope that you would ever love me back."

She finished and lowered her gaze from his and placed her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating quickly, but she never felt this close to him, and she loved every second of it.

He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his, and uttered the words Lisa had been hoping to hear for years, "Lisa, I want you, I want you now and forever, I want to be with you and spend the rest of my life with you."

She smiled devilishly and backed away from him, with a grip on the front of his shirt, slowly pulling him with her towards her bedroom.

Rick stopped right before the door and looked at her, "Lisa, are you sure this is what you want?"

Lisa didn't say anything as she walked over to the bed and laid down, and just smiled at him seductively, and motioned for him to come get her, and Rick, to his credit (which isn't often) didn't need to be told this time as he needed no second urging.

But as he approached, and they met on the bed, as the clothes began to come off, there was a knock at the door, and Lisa gave out an exasperated groan that Rick knew was venting sexual frustration.

Rick smiled, and looked at her, "Don't worry darlin' you'll get what's coming to you," he said, his voice full of intent and purpose as he got up to answer the door, since he was the one with most of his clothes still on. He shuffled off the bed and grabbed a shirt as he walked towards the door, casting Lisa one more smile.

He got to the door, but when he opened it, his smile disappeared and his jaw dropped. He suddenly felt his heart rate sky rocket, but not in the way it had been only seconds before, now it was more along the lines of a terrified fast beat.

"Well, Rick, aren't you going to say anything, or what," asked the cooing, high pitched voice of Minmei, and Rick was sure that Lisa had heard it. He groaned inwardly, and cursed himself for all his bad luck.

'What's that thing where you pay back the bad for all the good you've been having…I forgot, oh yeah, Karma, fuck Karma,' Rick said to himself.

"Well, um, Minmei, I mean, it's just that you picked a bad time…" Rick was saying, but he wasn't about to tell her that her bad timing had interrupted Lisa and him, that'd be something better left unsaid at the moment.

Lisa stood in her room, waiting for the moment to walk over to Rick, and put an abrupt end to Minmei's unwelcome intrusion. She had heard Minmei's initial greeting and had decided that the little whelp needed another dose of rejection. She had thought a moment and finally found what she had been looking for.

A huge shirt that she usually used for sleeping in, that came down to her mid-thigh, that covered enough, but also showed enough to at least be tantalizing, saying, 'Guess what we were doing,' and Lisa loved it.

"Oh what Rick, did I interrupt you getting ready, because I know I want you to look nice for the after party, it's going to be splendid, and everyone is invited, but I am really excited to see you, and I hope you-" Minmei stopped mid-sentence, as she saw Lisa approach.

Rick hadn't seen her walking up, but only knew she was there when her arm wrapped around his waist, and laid her head on his shoulder. He was surprised, but he tried not to show it, but the look on Minmei's face was shocked, and she did nothing to hide her shock and then momentary revulsion and disgust he knew was meant for Lisa.

"Oh Minmei, nice to see you," Lisa said, playing Minmei's game, pretending to be oblivious, but Lisa was much more cunning than Minmei.

'Probably because I actually have a brain that works,' she told herself, only deepening the smile.

Minmei recoiled at the scene, but used all her stage skill to recover, and continue to exude that air of confidence, but she had been shaken again, and this time, it had been even worse the first.

This woman had approached her Rick, and snaked her arm around him and laid her head on his shoulder, and what made it worse, was the fact she was only wearing a long t-shirt. But she had to admit to herself that Lisa was a more worthy opponent that she had anticipated.

It had never occurred to her that Lisa had any type of female cunning, but she had been wrong, and it almost made her a little excited for the chase now. She smiled again, knowing now to respect her opponent.

'Maybe she is a little prettier then I thought,' Minmei said, giving Rick a little credit where credit is due.

"Oh yes, lovely to see you too, Lisa, I was just telling Rick how nice it would be to have you and him be at the after-party, anyone whose anyone is going to be there, and I wouldn't want you to miss it," Minmei said.

'Lovely my ass,' Lisa thought, knowing Minmei was only acting nice because she had been fended off once again, Lisa smiled, but she knew this wasn't the way she wanted it.

Minmei gave them a nod, and said her good-bye, secretly swearing to herself to get to Rick when Lisa wasn't around.

As she walked off, Lisa closed the door and looked at Rick.

"Well, I guess there's no helping it now, we'd better get ready to go," she said as she made her way to the bathroom. Rick followed her, entranced by the out-fit, or lack thereof, that Lisa had decided to wear.

"Care to join me, hot-shot," Lisa said as she stopped in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning on the frame, bending one of her legs up in the air, and almost touching her back with her leg, posing seductively for Rick.

"In the shower," Rick said, surprised.

"Afraid Rick," Lisa asked, poking fun at him.

"Guess you'll just have to find," he said as he ran for the door, and chased Lisa inside, the door closing, and the water starting.


End file.
